USF Football Player Profile: #43 LB Auggie Sanchez

#43 LB Auggie Sanchez - 5th Year Senior, 6’2”, 245 lbs.

2016 Stats: Sanchez had another banner statistical year. He made 120 tackles, just one tackle away from tying USF’s single-season record. Auggie also had 8.5 tackles for loss, and tied for the team lead with six sacks. He intercepted a pass, forced one fumble, and recovered another. He ended the season with a spot on the all-American Athletic Conference second team.

But like most of USF’s defensive stars, he wasn’t quite as effective as he was in 2015. He made a few high-profile mistakes, and some opposing teams started going after him in their game plans. Maybe he was dinged up? Maybe Raymond Woodie really did have trouble putting the defense together? The 2017 season will tell us more.

2015 Stats: All Sanchez did was tie Kawika Mitchell for the second-most tackles in a season in school history. He finished with 117 tackles, far and away the most on the team. He also had 8.5 TFL, half a sack, and a fumble recovery. After the win against East Carolina, Willie Taggart called him "a badass." Auggie was named second-team all-American Athletic Conference at the end of the season.

2014 Stats: Sanchez started all 12 games as middle linebacker and logged 65 tackles, including two for loss, an interception and a fumble returned for a touchdown.

2013 Stats: Redshirt season.

How He Came To USF: Sanchez played at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, where his prolific tackling started early. He played in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons for the Vikings and piled up 298 tackles and 39 sacks. He was a Class 7A all-state third team player as a junior, and an all-state honorable mention as a senior. Auggie's brother Armando played linebacker for the Bulls, so he was already on USF's recruiting radar long before Willie Taggart took over. In January 2013, Auggie committed to USF as well. Said Auggie in 2014: "My brother went here, and that was a big deciding factor for me. It was close to home and I love my family, I love being around them, I love fishing, I love the water; it was a no-brainer, and USF is a good school."

Recruiting Rankings: Auggie was a two-star prospect on all the recruiting sites. On the list of USF two-star success stories, Sanchez is right up at the top of it.

Follow Him On... Auggie's not on Twitter, but his (private) Instagram feed is at yogi1233.